Parks With Prunette

This morning I woke up to the padding of little feet on the stairway. Prune was home for the first time with me at the house! When I got up, Fred’s mom, Mari, had stayed the night in the guest room and Fred and Cecile were at work. It was a little bit difficult for Mari and I to communicate, for she speaks little English and I speak little French, but I would say we got along quite well! She is a very sweet woman and Prune seems to absolutely adore her. 

At about noon, Prune’s friend Chaud came over with her mom, Magui. Magui is originally from Mexico, so we coule communicate in Spanish and it felt very nice to speak in Spanish for a little bit. We talked about how I don’t want to be alone this weekend, and she invited me over for lunch at her house tomorrow! Prune and Chaud played for awhile before it was time to go home. 

When Magui and Chaud had left, Mari, Prune, Eden (the dog) and I all took a walk to the park. At the park, I met a woman who had been a Rotary exchange student to Minnesota when she was younger! She was very happy to meet me and speak in English for a few minutes, and she gave me her phone number so that I could have her as another contact in France. People in the US often say that the French don’t like it when you can’t speak French, but I have not found that to be true. If you are nice, they like to practice English and help however they can, and I am grateful for that. 

When we got home from the park, Mari made lunch and we all ate together at the table. Prune began to get cranky during the end of lunch, so we took her to her bed to take a nap. Mari insisted that I also take a nap because I am still so tired from the time change. After about an hour, Cecile came home from work for a couple hours so that she could take me to the supermarket to buy food for the weekend that I would be alone in the house. We walked around the supermarket and she pointed out all of the things that were very typical French foods. 

When we got home, Cecile had to rush off to work and Mari had to take a train back to her house, so I was left alone with Prune who was still asleep. When Prune woke up, I took her to the park again with Eden in hopes of letting her release a bit of energy. She played tag with other children and I had a conversation with a mom who had been an au pair in Ireland. When we got home from the park, I took Prune upstairs to take a bath. I put bubbles in her bath and she played with all of her bathtub toys while I sang her songs in English as she tried to sing along. She was very splashy, but watching her be so entertained by such little things was very amusing! 

After the bath she pretended to be a cook who was making me meals in her tiny play kitchen. We played that game until Cecile got home and began to play with us! It was very cute and Prune is a very careful chef who wants to do everything right!

Cecile was in a hurry to pack her bags for their trip to the south of France, so I made Prune and I some dinner and then cleaned up while Cecile got everything ready. Prune was sad that I wasn’t coming with her, and Cecile was worried because she wanted to make sure I would feel safe at the house during the weekend. She left me in charge of feeding and walking the dog while they are gone, and I am grateful to have things to do even if they are small. 

After Cecile and Prune left for the train station, I called my mom on the phone as I walked Eden. Talking to my mom made me cry because she is such a good listener and probably understands what I am going through more than anyone, for she did it too and she knows me very well. She told me to focus on the good things that I have here, becuase I am strong and if I try very hard, I will be able to get through this while having a wonderful time. She is right, but it is easier said then done. Still, I will try my best.

Its so strange to me that I am homesick because I never was in Chile, and I think its because I have changed and learned to love home so much after a year abroad. Every day I am going to get more used to being in France, and every day I will speak a little more French and get closer to the family I live with. Every month I will meet more people and the days will pass by faster, maybe even faster then I will want them to. I know that this year I will grow and become trilingual, and that I am living my dream even though I have been rejecting that fact with my entire soul for the past week. I will be happy here and I will laugh and smile and make memories and friends that I will never forget. 

Before writing this blog entry, I was in the living room watching a movie when one awful thing happened, and then one great thing. The awful thing was that a gigantic spider was all of a sudden sitting in the middle of the living room. He is now under a bowl and will stay there for the rest of the weekend. The great thing was that Marine, one of my moms friends from her time as an au pair, invited me to spend the night at her house in Lille tomorrow night. I can’t go because I have to take care of the dog, but it felt very nice to have someone reach out to me so directly.

I am going to try to fall asleep now, with hope in my heart and a positive attitude. Goodnight California, and goodnight France!